375 Panterkill Road PO Box 70 Phoenicia, NY 12464 United States
July 31 - August 4, 2026
About this Retreat
Jayne Gumpel, LCSW (she/her/hers) is a psychotherapist, trainer, and teacher with 30 years of experience working with couples, individuals, and groups in New York City and Woodstock, NY. Jayne is a professional clinical trainer in Psychedelic Integration Psychotherapy, is a member of the Woodstock Therapy Center’s Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) team, and has completed MDMA-assisted psychotherapy training through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Jayne describes meditation as a core life practice, is a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and she includes mindfulness practice as a foundation of her work with clients. She is additionally trained in Imago Relationship Therapy and Gestalt Psychotherapy. Jayne is a co-founder of accessmindfulness.org, a 501c3, along with her son David. Her passion is supporting clients on their journey towards inner wisdom and healing from trauma to have more rich and satisfying lives and relationships.
Michael G. Burbank has been a student of Robert Thurman and HH the XIV Dalai Lama for over 25 years, since his undergraduate years studying Eastern religions and cultures at Columbia University in the 90s. In February of 2002, he was invited to help the Thurmans and Tibet House start the newly acquired Menla retreat. Over the years, he worked variously as Menla's dishwasher, housekeeper, maintenance assistant, Front of House Manager, and Assistant Director, and since 2013 he has served as Menla's Director.
Michael received the Kalachakra Tantra initiation from His Holiness the Dalai Lama twice--in 2003 and 2017--in Bodh Gaya, India. An avid life-long student and practitioner of Buddhism, Michael teaches classes at Menla and occasionally co-leads retreats. He is working in conjunction with a team of entrepreneurs and mindfulness teachers to launch Mindwell Labs, a for-profit mindfulness tech company intended to further the efforts of Tibet House US/Menla nationwide through a cutting edge health app that monitors anxiety. In his spare time, he works on spiritually-based screenplays and graphic novels, including most recently as letterer and co-author of Man of Peace: the Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama with William Meyers and Robert Thurman.
David Gumpel, Co-founder of Relationship Resources, is an Integral Master Coach and a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through UMASS medical school. He completed his MA in Psychology at The New School for Social Research. David is the co-founder of Access Mindfulness and was a study coordinator for the MAPS sponsored MDMA-Assisted Therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder study in NYC. As Director of Operations at Fluence, David provides guidance to Fluence trainers, leads experiential trainings and ensures the successful implementation of Fluence’s many offerings. As a coach, David teaches mindfulness to clients in private practice and to groups in corporate settings.
Details of this retreat
A Four-Night Silent Retreat at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa
In a world filled with urgency, noise, distraction, and endless stimulation, silence becomes a radical act of returning.
Cultivating the Joy of Silence is a four-night immersive retreat rooted in the philosophy of Cultivating JOY: that suffering is part of the human experience, and that presence, connection, mindfulness, creativity, and compassion can help us remember the beauty of being alive.
This retreat offers a gentle and supportive container for deep rest, reflection, and renewal through silence, nature, meditation, poetry, sound, and creative expression. While grounded in the traditions of Vipassana and mindfulness practice, this is not a rigid monastic retreat. Instead, it is a living exploration of silence as nourishment, silence as healing, silence as creativity, and silence as joy.
Participants will engage in guided sitting, walking, standing, and lying-down meditations, alongside contemplative practices that include poetry, creative writing, sound, art-making, and mindful presence in nature. Meals will be held in silence, and noble silence will be maintained throughout the retreat except during designated guided practices and experiential offerings.
Together, we will slow down enough to hear the subtle movements of the heart. We will practice listening beneath language. We will explore what emerges when we stop performing, stop fixing, stop explaining, and simply allow ourselves to be fully present with life as it is.
Limited to 16 participants, this intimate retreat is designed for individuals seeking renewal, spaciousness, creativity, contemplative practice, and a deeper connection to themselves and the living world around them.
Whether you are new to silence or an experienced meditator, you are welcome.
Retreat Details:
July 31 – August 4 Thursday 4 pm - Tuesday Lunch
Four nights at Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa
Tuition: $800 plus housing
Limited to 16 participants
Come sit beside the mountains.
Come listen to the wind in the trees.
Come remember that silence is not empty.
It is alive.
Schedule:
Friday. July 31
3 - 6 pm Arrival & Check-in
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 9:15 Opening Session - Silence Begins
Saturday, August 1
Silent Day
7:15 - 8 am Early Morning Sit
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Meditations
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 pm Afternoon Break, Free time for Relaxation, Spa & Rest
2:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Evening Program
Sunday, August 2
Silent Day
7:15 - 8 am Early Morning Sit
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Meditations
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 pm Afternoon Break, Free time for Relaxation, Spa & Rest
2:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Evening Program
Monday, August 3
Silent Day
7:15 - 8 am Early Morning Sit
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9:30 am - 12 pm Morning Meditations
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 pm Afternoon Break, Free time for Relaxation, Spa & Rest
2:30 - 5:30 pm Afternoon Program
6 - 7 pm Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm Evening Program
Tuesday, August 4
7 - 11 am Check-out of Rooms
7 - 8 am Morning Meditation & Yoga - Silent
8 - 9 am Breakfast - Silent
9:30 am - 12:30 pm Closing Morning Program - Silence Broken
12:30 - 1:30 pm Lunch & Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
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